Concrete driveway cost in Wisconsin

Extras that change the Wisconsin total

Add-ons start from national price ranges and are scaled by 1.05 for Wisconsin, which is the average of the area's wage index (1.15) and goods price index (0.94). The estimator above can add them to your total.

Which Wisconsin city is cheapest for concrete driveway?

6 of the 12 metros sit above the statewide midpoint of $6,950, and the top-to-bottom gap is 10%. Each row prices the default size with that metro's own BLS wages and BEA price levels, so the gap between rows is real local variation rather than a flat markup.

Weather windows across Wisconsin

Weather decides when pouring concrete can happen, and Wisconsin is not uniform. The table uses NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals from the weather station nearest each metro we cover, and counts the months that are neither cold nor hot enough to complicate the job.

Milwaukee has the longest comfortable season of the metros we cover in Wisconsin at 6 months (May through October); Wausau has the shortest at 5 (May through September). Rainfall runs from 32 inches a year in Green Bay to 37 inches in La Crosse.

We do not adjust prices by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. Timing is still worth raising when you collect bids.

Wages behind the Wisconsin number

Wisconsin's labor line is priced from 4 trades, each compared with its US median wage. After weighting by each trade's share of the work, the state comes out at 1.15 times the national level.

Cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051), 50% of the weighting: a median of $30.89 an hour, 13% above the US median of $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $28.40 and $38.29 an hour. About 4,490 work in the state. That is 15.3 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 13.3 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.

For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 30%) the local median is $26.97 an hour, which is 19% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $22.14 and $34.68 an hour. BLS counts 20,330 of them working in the state, 69.1 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is about average.

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 10% of the weighting: a median of $36.19 an hour, 26% above the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $29.58 and $45.49 an hour. About 8,140 work in the state. That is 27.7 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.

Carpenters (47-2031), 10% of the weighting: a median of $29.65 an hour, in line with the US median of $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $23.92 and $38.13 an hour. About 13,880 work in the state. That is 47.2 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 43.1 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.

A crew paid at the 75th percentile for cement masons and concrete finishers ($38.29 an hour) would add about $600 to the statewide midpoint; one at the 25th percentile ($28.40) would take off about $200. Use that as a rough guide to how far a bid can sit from our midpoint on wages alone.

BLS counts 2,941,540 jobs across Wisconsin (May 2025), which is 1.9% of US employment.

How Wisconsin compares with nearby states

Wisconsin ranks 11 of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) for concrete driveway, where 1 is the most expensive. The costliest is Hawaii at $9,600 and the cheapest Mississippi at $5,400, both for 600 sq ft at the midpoint. Wisconsin sits at $6,950. The five states closest by workforce center are listed below.

Basic, standard or premium: Wisconsin prices

Bands overlap on purpose, since a good standard job can cost as much as a light premium one. Below are the three bands for the default size, then a grid from 1-car (12x20), 240 sq ft to 3-car (900 sq ft).

If you are planning more than one job in Wisconsin

Each project weights the trades differently, so Wisconsin's wage level does not push every price by the same amount. Compared with the US midpoint, paver patio is +9% and concrete slab +3%.

Why two Wisconsin quotes can differ

• Thickness

  HomeGuide prices a standard 4-inch driveway at $6-$15/sq ft and a 6-inch one, recommended for heavy vehicles, at $8-$20/sq ft.

• Old driveway removal

  Tearing out the old surface adds about $2-$6 per sq ft, and some cities want the haul-off documented.

• Grading and drainage

  Professional grading runs $3-$8 per sq ft or $700-$2,500 for a typical job. A sloped lot or poor soil raises it.

• Finish

  Decorative driveways run $10-$25 per sq ft installed: colors and borders at $10-$15, stamped patterns at $15-$20, and high-end finishes at $20-$25+ (HomeGuide).

• Permits and the apron

  A driveway permit is typically $50-$200 and is often required for new work. The apron where the driveway meets the street can need a separate right-of-way permit.